Dynamometer



June 23, 1942. w. c; DILLON I 2,28 99 DYNAMOMETER Filed June 24, 19:59 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 23,1942.- R w. c. blLLON 2,287,299

DYNAMOMETER Filed June 24, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 23, 1942 2,287,299 DYNAMOMETER William O. Dillon, Chicago, Ill., assignor to W. O.

Dillon & Company, Inc.,

ration of Illinois Chicago, 111., a corpo- Application June 24, 1939, Serial No. 280,957

6 Claims. (01. 265 -68) My invention relates to dynamometers, and' more particularly to the type of dynamometers utilized in measuring exerted forces.

An object of my invention is to provide a compact, direct reading, portable dynamometer which 7 is adapted to be utilized for measuring exertedforces.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dynamometer for measuring tensile forces which is accurate and small and which can be manufactured at a reasonable price.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dynamometer for measuring exerted forces, the measuring range of which may be changed without replacing any of the parts thereof.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dynamometer for measuring exerted force which may be easily and quickly installed for making measurements.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dynamometer for measuring exerted force which is not damaged or rendered inaccurate by overloading, even to a considerable degree.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dynamometer for measuring exerted force which the instrument in accurate calibration.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dynamometer for measuring exerted force which has a direct reading dial scale and co-operating pointer and which has a mechanism providing smooth and substantially instantaneous operation of the pointer in response to exerted forces.

Another object of my invention is to provide a traction dynamometer which is not damaged or rendered inaccurate by recoil upon release of the traction force exerted thereon. V

Other objects of the invention relate to features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a rear, sectional view showing the operating parts of a device embodying a preferred form of my invention with the section taken substantially on a line 22 of Figure 3 and in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a sectional view with the section taken substantially on a line 3-3 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a sectional view with the section taken substantially on a line 44 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

.25 is adjustable for initially setting and for resetting Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a detail of a part of a preferred form of my invention;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view with the section taken substantially on a line 66 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevation of a portion of the operating parts embodied in a preferred form of my invention; and

Figure 8 is an elevation illustrating the utility and one use for which the device shown in Figure 1 is particularly adapted.

Having particular reference 'to the drawings, the dynamometer I!) which, in this instance, is particularly adapted to the measurement of tensile or traction forces but which might well :be adapted to the measurement of forces such as compression forces, has-a flexible bar H to and through which the measured forces are applied through links l2 and [3. An indicating mechanism I4 which is actuated by the fiexure of the bar II, is enclosed within a housing I5, which housing includes a window [6 through which a scale l1 and a co-operating pointer l8 are visible. Where particular precision is desired, the individual dynamometer is preferably calibrated after assembly and the "calibration is marked on the scale ll, as indicated at 20. A reasonable degree of accuracy may, however, be obtained with the dynamometer herein disclosed by carefully making the parts thereof and making certain adjustments of the parts which will be more fully described, to effect calibration of the instrument with a standard pre-marked scale.

The bar II has intermediate portions 2| and 22 which are of substantially the same crosssectional dimensions and the dimensions of whichjare dependent 'uponth'e range of force which the dynamometer is designed to measure.

At the ends, the bar II has angularly disposed portions 24 and 25 extending outwardly on the same side of the bar. The angularly extending portions 24 and 25 have openings'therethrough, such as 26, through which pins 21 and 28 extend for rotatably securing the links [2 and I3 to the bar. The openings, such as 26, are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the portions 2| and 22 and substantiallly equi-distant fromsaid axis, The links [2 and [3 are preferably substantially U-shaped and have side openings, such as 29,,

through which the pins 21 and 28 extend; the pins being secured in position by cotter pins, such as 30, or other suitable means. Since force is applied to the bar ll through the links 12 and l3 and the pins 27 and 23, and since the pins 21 and 28 are displaced from the longitudinal axis of the portions 2| and 22 of the bar, the force thus applied tends to flex or bend the intermediate portion of the bar, including portions 2| and 22. The distances between the axes of the pins 21 and 28 and the longitudinal axis of the bar determine the movement of leverage of the bending force upon the mid-portion of the bar. The dimensions of the mid-portion of the bar, the material or metal of which the bar is made, and the distances between the axes of the pins 21 and 28 and the longitudinal axis of the bar are so selected that the bar is flexed by forces within a range to be utilized in a particular dynamometer and also so that the bar is not broken by the forces or stressed beyond the elastic limit. The portions 2| and 22 of the bar and the side of the bar opposite the angularly projecting portions 24 and 25 are preferably substantially straight when the bar is unstressed. Also, the angularly disposed portions 24 and 25 are sufficiently wide, as viewed in Figure 2, in comparison with the cross-sectional dimensions of the portions 2| and 22, so that these angularly disposed portions do not flex appreciably or independently of the flexure of the mid-portion of the bar, including the portions 2| and 22.

A lug 32 is preferably integral with the midportion of the bar H and projects from one side thereof to provide a mounting for a bracket 33, to which the housing I is secured. The bracket 33 is secured to the lug 32 by screws, such as 34, which extend therethrough and are threaded into the lug 32. The housing preferably comprises a cup-shaped back portion 35 which is secured to the bracket 33 by a screw 36 which extends therethrough and is threaded into the bracket 33. A cross-piece 31 is secured to the bracket 33 by a screw 38 and engages the cupshaped portion 35 of the housing to provide additional support therefor. Also, the screw 40 extends through the cup-shaped portion 35 of the housing and is threaded into the lug 32 to additionally secure the cup-shaped portion in position. The lug 32 is comparatively thin or narrow in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bar so that it does not appreciably affect the flexure of the mid-portion of the bar.

A bezel 42 provides the front portion of the housing l5 and telescopically engages the rim of the cup-shaped portion 35. The bezel 42 is secured in position by a screw 43 which extends therethrough and through the cup-shaped portion 35, and is threaded into the lug 32. The bezel has a flange 44 which is integral therewith and which has an inturned edge 45 against which the glass or window It is held in position by a ring 41. The bezel 42 and cup-shaped portion 35 of the housing have slots cut therein at 48 and 49 which provide openings through which the ends of the bar extend.

In the operating mechanism which provides a visual and calibrated indication of the deflection of the bar responsive to applied force, substantially rigid, curved arms 50 and 5| are secured to spaced parts of the bar, preferably near the ends thereof and opposite the angularly projecting portions 24 and 25. These arms 50 and 5| are secured to the bar by screws, such as 53 and 54, respectively, or other suitable fastening means. The arms 50 and 5| are preferably of unequal length and extend to positions such that their ends are near each other. The arms are also preferably in a plane with the bar, or substantially parallel to the axis of the bar in one direction. A lever 55 is rotatably supported at one end of the bar 5| by a pin 51 which is secured to the bar 5!. The lever 56 is rotatable in a plane, passing through the .bar H and the arms 53 and 5|, the lever 56 being longer on one side of the pin 51 than on the other. A counterweight 58 is secured to the shorter end of the lever to substantially balance the lever about the pin 5 A bracket Bil is secured to the free end of the arm 50 by screws 6|, or other suitable means, and has a substantiall U-shaped end portion 62. An adjusting screw 53 is threaded through the end of the arm 5| and extends through one side of the U-shaped portion 62. The other side of the U-shaped portion 62 biased toward the end of the adjusting screw 63, and the adjusting screw 63 abuts the said other side of the U-shaped portion 62 to determine the position of that side. A second bracket 64 is secured to the adjustable side of the U-shaped portion 62 of the bracket 50 by a bolt 65 and a co-operating nut 66 or other suitable means. The bracket 64 is preferably slotted so that it is adjustable to positions such as those indicated by dotted lines at 64a and 54b. The bracket 64 engages the lever 55 to provide a fulcrum for determining the position of the lever. The lever 56 is biased into engagement with the bracket 64 by a spring 61 which has a hook portion 68 extending through an aperture 69 in the lever 56 and a hook portion 10 extending through an opening in a lug H, which is anchored to the arm 50 by one of the screws 6 In the preferred embodiment of my invention which is disclosed herein, the arms 50 and 5| are of unequal length and are secured to similar and oppositely flexed spaced portions of the bar. so that relative movement occurs between the ends of the arms by virtue of their unequal length. It is realized and understood that relative movement can be obtained between the ends of arms such as 53 and 5|, but of equal length, by securing the arms to spaced portions of the bars that are differently affected by fiexure of the bar. The system disclosed in which arms of unequal length are utilized is considered preferable in some respects.

A support plate 13 has an integral flange 14 thereon which is secured to the bar between the anchored end of the arm 53 and the bar. An auxiliary support plate 15 is secured to the support plate 73 by screws such as '75 or other suitable means. A second auxiliary support plate together with the auxiliary support plate 15 provide bearings for rotatably supporting shafts 18 and 19 to which a rack 83 and a pinion 8| are respectively secured. The second auxiliary support plate TI is secured to the support plate 13 by screws 82 and 83, and is spaced from the support plate and auxiliary support plate, 13 and 15, by collars, such as 84 and 85. The pointer I8 is secured to the end of the shaft 19 adjacent the front of the scale IT by a collar 81 that is pressed on the end of the shaft 19. When desired, a pusher indicator or auxiliary pointer 88 is rotatably supported concentrically with respect to the shaft 19 and has a lug 89 thereon which engages one side of the pointer l8, so that it is moved by the pointer |8 in one direction and stays at the point of the highest reading reached by the hand l8 until it is manually reset to the zero position by rotation of a shaft 86 and control knob 9|.

A pin 90 extends through the rack and is secured thereto by collars 92 and 93 which are pressed onto the pin 99 and which engage the sides of the rack 89. On one side of the rack 89 the pin 99 engages a caming surface 94 on the end of the lever 56, which camming surface is preferably flat. On the other side of the rack 89 the pin 99 has a spring or resilient member 95 connected thereto by a hooked portion 96 on the spring. The other end of the spring 95 is connected by hooked portion 91 to one end of a pin 98 which extends through the lever 56 and is secured thereto by collars 99 and I99. A head I9I on the end of the pin 99 and a head I92 on the end of the pin 98, together with a collar I93 on the pin 98, determine the position of the spring 95 on the pins. This spring 95 biases the pin 99 into engagement with the camming surface 94 on the lever 56 and maintains such engagement during normal movement of the lever 56, responsive to relative movement of the arms 59 and I. Since the rack 89 is thereby actuated responsive to movement of the. lever 56 and the rack 89 engages the pinion 8|, the pointer I8 is moved by the movements of the lever 56. The rack 89 has a counterweight I94 secured thereto by a screw I95 to substantially balance the rack for rotary movement about the axis of the shaft I8. Movement of the rack 89 in one direction is stopped by a stop comprising a stud I96 which is threaded into the support plate 13. Movement of the rack in the other direction is limited by a stop comprising a stud I9'I which is threaded into the support plate I3 in position to engage the counterweight I94. The limits of movement for the rack prevent disengagement of the rack 89 from the pinion 8|. The position of the rack 89 on the shaft I8 is determined by a collar I98 which is secured to the shaft I8.

In some instances, and where desired, one or more resilient contacts, such as II9, are secured to the edge of the scale I! and insulated therefrom by insulating members III. The contacts are preferably clipped on to the edge of the scale and are adjustable to a desired and predetermined position on the periphery of the scale,

in which position they are adapted to be engaged by the pointer I8 to complete an electrical circuit, and thereby give a signal when the predetermined point on the scale is reached by the pointer. Connections to the contacts are made through wires connected to terminals such as I I2 and secured thereto by screws such as II3.

In the design of the dynamometer disclosed, it is preferable that the axes of the shafts I8 and I9 and of the pin 51 are substantially in alignment and substantially equi-distant from the surface of the bar II. It is also preferable that the normal position of the fulcrum 64 is nearly in alignment with the line passing through the axes of the shafts I8 and I9 and the pin 51. It is also preferable that the axis of the pin 99 is located between the line passing through the axes of the shafts I8 and I9 and the surface of the bar II.

One possible use or adaptation of the dynamometer is disclosed in Fig. 8. Having particular reference to this figure, the dynamometer I9 is secured to a pole II4 by a cable II5 that extends around the pole and through the link. The other end of the dynamometer is connected through a block and tackle H6 and a suitable clamp I IT to a guy wire or cable II8, so that the tension on the guy wire or cable may be measured as the block and tackle is operated to increase the tension on the cable.

In the operation of the dynamometer, the force applied to the bar II through the links I2 and I8 effects a bowing or curving fiexure of the bar by virtue of the leverage of the angularly projecting portions 24 and 25. As the bar II flexes or hows, the angular positions of the arms 59 and 5| are changed, and relative movement occurs between the ends of the arms 59 and 5I. Since the lever 56 is supported by the end of the arm 5I and the fulcrum 64 is supported by the end of the arm 59, this relative movement between the ends moves the lever to a position such as that indicated at 56a in Fig. 2., The pin 99, being biased into engagement with the cam surface 94 of the lever 56, the movement of the lever effects a corresponding movement of the rack 89, and, consequently, movement of the pinion 8|. Some multiplication of the movement is effected as a result of the difference in the length of thelever arms, between the fulcrum 64 and the pin 51, and between the pin 5! and the point of engagement of the pin 99 with the cam surface 94. Further multiplication of the movement is accomplished as a result of the leverage in the rack itself, and also as a result of the ratio of the rack gear to the pinion gear. The resulting gain in mechanical movement provides a large deflection of the pointer I8 for a very small fiexure of the bar II.

By anchoring the support plate I3 between the anchored end of the arm 59 and the bar I I,

the fiexure of the bar moves the shaft I9 in nearly the same direction and by nearly the same amount as the movement of the case or housing I5 which is anchored to the lug 32 on the bar. For the deflections obtained, the difference in movement or relative movement between the shaft I9 and housing I5 is insuflicient to be detrimental. However, since the scale I! is carried by the support plate 13, the edges of the scale are separated from the case or housing I5, as indicated at H9 in Fig. 4, to insure against any binding or undesirable results due to slight relative movement between the case or housing I5 and the scale I'I. Since the limits of movement of the rack 89 are established by the stops I 96 and I91, and since the lever 56 moves away from the pin 99 during the application of force to the dynamometer, any excessive force which would tend to move the rack 89 out of engagement with the pinion 8I is prevented from doing any damage to the operating parts of the dynamometer by the stretching of the spring or resilient element 95. Damage to the dynamometer due to a sudden release of the force, which might cause recoil or reverse fiexure of the bar II, is prevented by stretching of the spring or resilient element 61 which permits separation of the fulcrum 64 from the lever 56. It is a feature of the operation of the dynamometer that While the springs or resilient elements and 61 provide the protection against damage to the operating parts of the dynamometer and link the parts together, their tension remains substantially constant throughout the normal operating range of the instrument.

In the original adjustment of the dynamometer or for resetting the dynamometer in calibration, the adjusting screw 63 is manually adjusted to determine the position of the fulcrum 64 and, consequently, zero position of the lever 56. It is another feature of the dynamometer disclosed that with a particular bar II, the measurable range of forces may be changed by moving the position of the fulcrum 64 along the lever 56, as illustrated in Fig. 7.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention for the purpose of illustration, it will be apparent that changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to cover by Letters Patent is:

l. A dynamometer comprising, in combination, means adapted to flex in response to applied force, substantially rigid relatively movable members having relative positions determined by flexure of said means, and indicating means controlled by the relative positions of said movable members, said indicating means including a rack and pinion and a lever for actuating the rack in response to relative movement of said members, means including resilient members connecting said lever to said rack and to one of said movable members, stops for limiting the movement of said rack, said springs preventing damage to said rack and pinion upon overload and said stops preventing disengagement of the rack and pinion.

2. A dynamometer comprising, in combination, a single bar having a portion of predetermined cross section adapted to flex in response to applied force and angularly projecting portions of greater cross section to which the force is applied, members having relative positions controlled by flexure of said portion of predetermined cross section, and indicating means controlled by the relative positions of said members, said indicating means including a rotatably mounted lever actuated by said members and a rack and pinion mounted for rotation responsive to rotary movement of the lever, the axes of rotation of said lever, rack and pinion normally being approximately in a straight line and equidistant from the bar.

3. A dynamometer comprising, in combination, a bar adapted to flex in response to applied force and having a normally straight side, members having relative positions controlled by flexure of said bar, and indicating means controlled by the relative positions of said members, said indicating means including a plurality of co-operating rotatably mounted parts, and a fulcrum on one of said members engaging one of said parts to control the position thereof, the fulcrum and the axes of rotation of said parts being substantially in a straight line which is practically parallel to said straight side in the normal position of the first mentioned means.

4. In a dynamometer, the combination comprising a member adapted to flex in response to applied force, indicating means including movable parts and a scale, a housing including a window enclosing said movable parts and scale, said housing being secured to said member near the mid-portion thereof, said movable parts and said scale being supported from said member by means secured to said member at a position spaced from the mid-portion of the member, and said scale being spaced from the housing.

5. A dynamometer comprising, in combination, a bar having a normally linear flexible portion adapted to flex in response to applied force, relatively rigid movable members having relative positions determined by flexure of the bar, and indicating means controlled by the relative positions of said movable members, said indicating means including a relatively rigid lever rotatably supported by one of said movable members and an intermediate indicator driving instrumentality, a resilient member biasing the lever toward the other of said movable members, and a resilient member biasing the intermediate driving instrumentality into engagement with the lever.

6. In a dynamometer, the combination comprising a single flexible metallic bar having a normally straight mid-portion and end portions extending angularly outwardly from the same side of the ends of the bar, means for applying force to the end portion in a line offset from the mid-portion, the end portions being short with respect to the length of the mid-portion and the section of the end portions being large with respect to the section of the mid-portion by proportions such that applied force on said end portions effects curvature of the normally straight mid-portion which is proportional to the force applied, a relatively rigid member secured at one of its ends to one of said end portions and having its free end positioned closely adjacent the other end portion of said bar, and indicator means responsive to relative movement between said free end of the member and said other end portion of the bar.

WILLIAM c. DILLON. 

